Chapter Text
Summer was Elaine’s favorite season. Well, actually —truth be told— she mostly disliked everything about Summer. The hot and humid weather always made working with her hair a nightmare, and her mother never let her out of the house unless she was wearing gloves, so she overheated very quickly. But still, it was her favorite for one key reason —or rather two key reasons. The Lin Twins. She wasn’t allowed to visit them much for the majority of the year, and her mother expected to always be by her side during her rare trips to their estate.
During the summertime, however, the Duke and his family left their home in the south to stay in their townhouse in the capital. And that meant that, on days like today, she was allowed to go to their home and visit entirely unsupervised. At least so long as her mother personally dropped her off and picked her up at the prearranged times, of course.
“Do you remember the rules?” Her mother asked as their carriage pulled up alongside the elaborately decorated home.
“Yes, mother.” Instinctively, she touched her gloves, double checking to make certain that she was still wearing them.
“…Alright, go on ahead now, don’t let me keep you,” She said. Elaine nodded, and stepped out of the carriage, thanking the attendant who held the door open for her. She gave the guards at the front gates her name, nodding politely to them as she passed.
The home seemed equally grand every time she entered, the polished marble floors and gilded wooden railings never seeming to lose their wonder no matter how many times she saw them. A maid led her out to the garden, where Isabella was already waiting for her.
“Elaine!” She exclaimed, pulling her into a tight embrace. “I’m so happy you’re here, I was terrified that your mother was going to cancel our plans.”
“I’m sure you would have allowed that to happen.” Elaine smiled as she pulled back from the hug.
“No, you’re right, I wouldn’t have,” Isabella laughed. “But enough about that, come, sit, before the tea gets cold.” She ushered her into her chair.
“How have you been? It feels like it’s been so long since I last saw you,” Elaine asked in between polite bites of tiny tea cakes.
“Oh, you know, same as usual. Practicing music, meeting suitors, dealing with my idiot of a brother.”
“What did he do this time?” She asked, grinning. She had always wanted siblings of her own, even if she was already difficult for her mother to handle, so she enjoyed living vicariously through the twin’s shenanigans.
“Oh… nothing in particular,” She said, her voice growing uncharacteristically mousy. Elaine arched an eyebrow.
“What are you not telling me?” Isabella prided herself on being good at lying to her parents, but when she had a piece of gossip that she wanted to tell, she was terribly obvious.
“Well… I may or may not have heard through the grapevine that he’s planning a surprise for you,” She confessed. “But you didn’t hear it from me. He’s been stuck on making it perfect and if he knows I told you he’ll be furious.”
“What kind of surprise?” She asked, leaning in closer.
“…All I’ll say is that if he asks you to do something with him later, you should consider forgoing the gloves. But that’s it, you won’t be getting anything more out of me.” She pantomimed zipping up her lips.
Forgoing my gloves? Elaine thought. What could that possibly mean? She realized with a start what Isa was trying to imply.
“Are you saying that he’s going to… propose to me?” Isabella held up her hands, refusing to say anything more on the topic, though she couldn’t quite hide her grin. Elaine was stricken. She had been half in love with Charles since the day she had met him, and a part of her knew that he felt the same. After all, they had exchanged so many love letters over the years, so many walks around their estate, their hands brushing when they thought no one else was looking. But marriage? She hadn’t dared hope that it might come so soon.
“Enough of that!” Isabella clapped her hands together, motioning for a servant to clean up the table. “Have you seen my room yet? I redecorated and I wanted your opinions on the color scheme I chose.”
“I’m sure it’s lovely, you have a much better eye for design than I do.”
“You flatter me, but I still would like to know what you think.” She said, grabbing her hand and leading her into the house and up the stairs. Isabella’s room was about as perfect as could be expected from her, made up of dainty pinks and pretty florals. One corner held her instruments, a harp and a beautiful violin, sat atop a plush rug.
“Well, it’s beautiful, but I’m sure you already knew that. Have you been working on anything in particular?” She asked, gesturing towards the instruments.
“Yes, actually, I’ve been practicing a new piece by Remve that I’m very proud of. Would—” Her question was cut off by the sudden appearance of a new figure in the doorway.
“Pardon me, dear sister, but may I have a moment of our guest’s time?” Charles asked.
“We were in the middle of a conversation, could you have waited one—”
“It will only be a minute, I promise,” Charles said. Isabella look towards Elaine.
“It’s really fine, I don’t mind. We can finish discussing it when I get back, right?” She asked. She didn’t want to abandon Isa mid-conversation, but it had been just as long since she had seen Charles, and she didn’t have much time before her mother came back to pick her up, after which she had no clue when she would see the two of them next. Isabella sighed.
“Alright. Just don’t take too long.” Elaine smiled at her as she took Charles’ offered arm and walked with him, down the hallway and onto a secluded balcony. They were overlooking the garden, the soft earthy fragrance drifting up towards them. The world was perfectly silent save for the songs of the birds nesting in the trees.
“I’m glad to see you.” She smiled at him.
“I am too, Elaine. You have no idea how I’ve missed you,” He held her hands in his. “I won’t keep you long, I know how much my sister has been looking forward to her visit with you. I just wanted to ask if it would be at all possible for you to come by later this evening. There was something I wanted to show you, but I have not the time for it right now.”
“I’ll be there,” She promised, even knowing how hard it would be for her to follow through on such a plan. He beamed.
“I’ll see you at… seven then?”
“It’s a plan.” She let go of his hands and headed back inside. When she was sure she couldn’t be heard, she squealed.
Everything couldn’t be more perfect. She thought to herself.